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Quick Tip: Removing Ice Melt and Salt

In order to remove ice melt and rock salt residues, it's important to suspend the use of salts and the other compounds to ensure the proper removal.

Ice melt removers are the most successful products used for this purpose. Chelating agents in these products suspend the salts, allowing floor cleaners
(mechanical extractors or mops) to remove these residues through the chemical means of wetting, emulsification, dispersion, and adsorption.

Cleaning commercial hard-floors during the winter months is best-done by considering various surface levels:

Removing Haze from the Top

Remove haze on floors with ice-melt remover. Use a hand mop or an auto scrubber, which uses a cleaning solution and cleaning pads (typically red pads
for vinyl composition tile, and white pads for marble), to remove the residues.

Hazing that is located closer to walk-off mats is best removed by first using an ice-melt remover and then a neutralizer. Ice-melt is a comparatively
high Ph and dirt releases best at an approximate Ph of 7. Using neutralizers alone is less effective.

Most dirt and debris will end up here and should be removed prior to finishing and spot mopping to reduce puddles.

President of Doc’s Facilities Solutions

Joel Craddock is president of Doc’s Facilities Solutions in Rochester, NY, and is a master trainer for CMI’s certification programs. He has more than 30 years of operations and sales experience. For more information on Craddock, visit docsfs.com.